Paraguayan bishop urges lawmakers to strengthen families

Bishop Adalberto Martinez of San Pedro, Paraguay is encouraging lawmakers to strengthen the family as a means of combating poverty in the country.

“If the future of humanity and of Paraguay is built on and from the families, the bonds of this small but fundamental cell of society must be strengthened.

“We must remove the obstacles that weaken and impoverish it,” Bishop Martinez said Dec. 6 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Caacupe.

He warned against proposed laws that “attack the family and human life” and said legislators should respect the values of Christians, “who make up the majority of the Paraguayan nation.”

The bishop also called attention to spouses who abandon their families. “It has become increasingly more apparent that poverty in our country has a feminine face. Women are sacrificing greatly to raise their children alone because of the irresponsibility of fathers,” he said.

Bishop Martinez also noted that the breakdown of the family leads many young people to fall into crime and live on the street.

He urged the government to ensure the well-being of the family and to promote policies that prevent domestic violence.